Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for making primary alcohols characterized by the use of base to suppress formation of carbonyl reaction by-products to increase the yield of linear primary alcohols.
These alcohols have utility as solvents and as intermediates in plasticizer and lubricant manufacturing. Some of the higher alcohols are used as surface active agent intermediates but their biodegradability is inversely proportional to the amount of branched isomer present in the final alcohol product.